Wireless sensor node group affiliation method and apparatus

• US 7,688,793 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2006
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Le Brun, Jason B., Rittle, Loren J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Danh C
• Application Number:
  US11/278,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20070266078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/335, 370/390, 370/338, 370/328, 709/224, 455/7, 340/571.1
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A wireless sensor node can obtain (102) a wireless sensor node group affiliation pursuant to an affiliation formation process and then subsequently transmit (103) information regarding that wireless sensor node group affiliation. By one approach this affiliation formation process can comprise, at least in part, using wireless sensor node group affiliation information as corresponds to other wireless sensor nodes. Such wireless sensor node group affiliation information as corresponds to other wireless sensor nodes might be received, for example, directly from that other wireless sensor node and/or via an intermediary wireless sensor node that acts to forward such information from the other wireless sensor node.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a wireless sensor node;

obtaining a wireless sensor node group affiliation pursuant to an affiliation formation process wherein the affiliation process is based on at least one of sensing facilities and fielded circumstances for the wireless sensor node;

transmitting information regarding that wireless sensor node group affiliation subsequent to the affiliation formation process;

determining when to serve in the group in active status and when to participate in the group in inactive status.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining a wireless sensor node group affiliation pursuant to an affiliation formation process comprises, at least in part, forming the wireless sensor node group affiliation as a function, at least in part, of other wireless sensor node group affiliation information as corresponds to at least one other wireless sensor node.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

wirelessly receiving the other wireless sensor node group affiliation information.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein wirelessly receiving the other wireless sensor node group affiliation information from at least one of:

the at least one other wireless sensor node;

an intermediary wireless sensor node that is forwarding the other wireless sensor node group affiliation information from the at least one other wireless sensor node.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining a wireless sensor node group affiliation pursuant to an affiliation formation process further comprises transmitting information regarding that wireless sensor node group affiliation during the affiliation formation process.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

wirelessly receiving and storing executable instructions as pertain to the wireless sensor node group affiliation.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless sensor node group affiliation comprises an inactive wireless sensor node group affiliation.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining that the wireless sensor node group affiliation should be changed from the inactive wireless sensor node group affiliation to an active wireless sensor node group affiliation;

operating as an active wireless sensor node group affiliate.

9. A method comprising:

transmitting a first at least one group affiliation criterion to a plurality of wireless sensor nodes to facilitate affiliation determination by at least some of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes as to their affiliation with respect to a first wireless sensor node group wherein the affiliation determination is based on at least one of sensing facilities and fielded circumstances for individual ones of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes;

subsequent to transmitting the first at least one group affiliation criterion, transmitting a second at least one group affiliation criterion to the plurality of wireless sensor nodes to facilitate affiliation determination by at least some of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes as to their affiliation with respect to a second wireless sensor node group as a function, at least in part, of information regarding the first wireless sensor node group, wherein the affiliation determination is based on at least one of sensing facilities and fielded circumstances for individual ones of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the information regarding the first wireless sensor node group comprises information regarding self-affiliation with the first wireless sensor node group.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the information regarding the first wireless sensor node group comprises information regarding other node-affiliation with the first wireless sensor group.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the information regarding the first wireless sensor node group comprises information regarding non-affiliation with the first wireless sensor node group.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the information regarding the first wireless sensor node group comprises information regarding at least one of:

active status; and

inactive status;

affiliation with the first wireless sensor node group.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the second wireless sensor node group comprises a subset of the first wireless sensor node group.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining that an active affiliate of the second wireless sensor node group should change its active status;

causing an inactive affiliate of the second wireless sensor node group to change to active status and thereby substitute for the active affiliate.